


A Home So Far Away

by saphire_dance



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 12:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1186022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saphire_dance/pseuds/saphire_dance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Multiverse is vast and unknown, and if Tim can't find a way home, maybe he can at least find a home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tim stumbled dizzily as the portal dumped him on a shadowed rooftop, nearly into Nightwing's lap actually. Dick grabbed him by the shoulders holding him at arms length looking him over. “What happened?” Tim asked, and tried valiantly not to puke all over Nightwing's boots.

“Li.. little brother?” Dick's voice was thin and quiet in a way Tim had never heard before. He didn't have much time to wonder about it as he heard the soft thock of a tranq gun, and the sharp pinch of the dart in his neck. “Little wing, why did you do that?” Dick cradled him close as the tranquilizers did their work. Tim heard Jason growl out an answer to Dick's question, but whatever the words were they were lost to the swirling darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

He awoke in the cave's med bay, his head aching, likely as a side effect of the tranquilizers, but he wouldn't discount the mysterious portal either. Dick sat in a chair next to the cot, holding Tim's hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth over Tim's wrist. It was strange, nice, but strange. “Why did Jay tranq me?”

Dick jumped slightly at Tim's question. He'd been staring too intently at Tim's hand to notice Tim waking up. He stood, and leaned over the cot, brushing aside Tim's hair and stroking his cheek. “You're awake. He... He was worried you were an impostor, a shape-shifter or a clone. I... We've missed you so much, little brother.” Dick leaned down, and kissed him. Not a brotherly kiss at all, but a full on invasion of Tim's mouth. It was everything he'd ever wanted from Dick and also completely wrong. Tim knew what happened now. He'd been shunted somewhere else in the multiverse. Somewhere where all his dreams did come true, where Jason was on their side, and Dick loved him just as much as he loved Dick.

Tim gave himself a brief moment to memorize the kiss before pushing Dick away as hard as he could. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away from Dick “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not... Well I am Tim Drake, but I'm not... I'm not your Tim. I'm sorry.”

“That's what Atom said. What the hell did you do Dick?” Tim looked to see Jason standing in the doorway. He was wearing a costume Tim had never seen, a color inverted version of Nightwing's with a stylized bluejay like a Robin R over his heart. He looked amazing, and perfect. Tim squeezed his eyes shut, and again wished that this was his earth.

“I made a mistake, obviously. I'm...” Dick took in a deep breath, sounding like someone who was trying not to cry. “I'm very sorry, Tim.”

“I... It's okay. I can understand exactly how confusing this is.” Tim turned to focus on Jason. “You spoke with the Atom. Did he say how I might get home?”

Jason frowned, and wouldn't meet Tim's eyes. “That's the problem, ba... uh, Tim. There isn't a way. You're stuck here.”


	3. Chapter 3

Tim spent the next few weeks reading every file he could get his hands on. As far as he can tell the history of this earth is identical right up to the Felipe Garzonas case, there the timeline shifts. On this earth he, Tim, had been there that night. There was no doubt that Garzonas had slipped accidentally off the balcony. Proof of Robin's innocence came with proof of Tim's hobby. And not knowing what else to do with Tim, Bruce had him trained to be Robin as well. After that there were subtle differences. The Titans split the older crew with Dick and a younger group running as Teen Titans with Jason. This earth's Tim formed Young Justice, making all the same friends that Tim had made back home. By all accounts it was a perfect earth until this earth's Tim's parents were killed in Haiti. The death had affected Jason as well making him decide to find his own mother. This Tim went with Jason to Africa, and died in Jason's place. Tim researched a few more things after that discovery. Steph was Robin now, and Kon, and Bart were alive, and on the Teen Titans roster. It was a near perfect world. A near perfect world that he didn't belong in.

Dick and Jason hovered nearby while he did all his research. He would often see Dick reaching out and then pulling back, every aborted hug nearly breaking Tim's heart. Jason would just stand close and stare at him sadly. It didn't take long for Tim to figure out that Jason was affected just as deeply, he just showed it in different ways.

When Batman and Robin came back from their mission the hug from Steph was expected, the one from Bruce had not been. After that round of explanations Bruce went out of his way to try and find some way to get Tim back home. It was only after those options were exhausted that Tim let himself mourn his lost world, and cried himself to sleep.

The next morning he presented Bruce with a sketch of the Red Robin suit, and a plea for employment. Bruce said that he would always have a home here. Tim managed not to cry until he was alone in the locker room getting dressed for training.

The training helped to ease the awkwardness of his relationship with Dick and Jason. Being brothers with them helped a great deal with the awkwardness of meeting people he knew so well, and yet he didn't know at all. Eventually, except for the occasional hint of sadness in Dick, and Jason's eyes, this earth started to feel like home.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim danced across the practice mats dodging Jason's fists. One of the few things that was glaringly different about this earth was Jason's fighting style. He was still brutally strong but here he had as much grace, if not more than Bruce. It made sparring with him an incredible challenge. Today their spar ended much as it always did; with Jason pinning Tim. Only this time, once he had Tim pinned, Jason leaned down, and kissed Tim just as ferociously as he had fought him. Tim kissed back for a moment before he came to his senses, and pushed Jason away. The undisguised pain in Jason's face made him wish he hadn't done it but he couldn't, he wouldn't, fool himself into believing any good would come out of pretending he was the boy they had lost.

Jason kept Tim pinned down, hiding his face against Tim's shoulder before speaking. “I'm sorry. I know, I know you're not him, and I know I'm not your Jason. It's just,” Jason lifted his head up to look at Tim. “I do love you, and I wish you could give us a chance.”

“I don't know. I... I...”

“You really should at least think about it, little brother.” Dick moved out of the shadows to lay down next to them on the mats, kissing Jason briefly before turning his attention to Tim. “We see you, and we love you. Please, little brother. We need you.”

Tim closed his eyes for just a moment before he said “Yes,” and let himself come home.


End file.
